Conclusion: Cost savings due to PC are realized for short and medium LOS but not stays >30 days. These findings suggest savings can be achieved by earlier involvement of palliative care, and support screening efforts to identify patients who can benefit from PC services early in an admission.

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It’s a tough situation: you have a fatal condition. You require care beyond what family members can provide at home. But with a prognosis of more than six months to live, you are not ready for hospice care.

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CANCER patients who receive early access to community-based palliative care are less likely to go to the emergency department coming towards the end of their life, according to Curtin University research.

Delivery of palliative care in the ICU will be hampered until studies incorporate outcomes that are: responsive to and reflective of variations in care, and multi-faceted (with patient-centered components) to reflect the multi-dimensional nature of palliative care and the varied needs of different stakeholders.

The increased PCC utilization for immigrants is in contrast to previously reported literature. This increased use may be because access to services in a municipal hospital is not driven by demographic and socioeconomic factors.

This research will explore the experiences of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Interstitial Lung Disease and Bronchiectasis and their caregivers from the perspective of the bereaved caregiver. The outcomes of this study will provide a critical first step in the development of more responsive palliative care for this client group and have important implications for future practice and policy in the palliative care provided to this client group.

Patients with cirrhosis who have been removed from the wait list for LT are infrequently referred for palliative care (∼10% of cases), although a high percentage have pain or nausea. Goals of care and DNR status are rarely discussed. Improved planning of goals of care and access to palliative services is required for these patients.

This article aims to clarify the role of specialist paediatric palliative care, identify who should be eligible for such care, describe the services available (including those from children’s hospices) and provide a tool for assessing some of the most challenging referrals. Many of the documents referenced can be downloaded from the Together for Short Lives website, and in many cases, there is no charge.